Commercial Photographer Mark LaMonica - Assignment and Stock Photography

Traditional Film Photography

Using film requires you to think more on location and use a careful, rigorous approach to each project because you
don't have the luxury of unlimited shots and then looking at an LCD panel to check the results. It takes inner creativity
to visualize what the final output will look like since film sees light differently than we do. Each film has a specific
characteristic and will react to the lighting on location differently. The end result is vivid colors and sharp details so
real you feel like you are actually there. In what seems to be a digital world, there are some clients who will only accept
film as the working medium with the benefits of excellent archival properties and being viewed without a computer.

With film we have the original to look at for exposure and color accuracy, so when there is a shift in color or some
other post production problem, we can always go back to the original transparency to verify the facts. We can minimize
these problems and post production delays by getting everyone on the same page just like we are trying to do with
100% digital capture. Many offset printers are still operating in the closed loop "old school" technology where they
receive color film and put it on a drum scanner which has been carefully set up and calibrated to their press
conditions. The scanner converts RGB to CMYK automatically and all the pre-press work is done in CMYK. The system
works well as long as that offset printer is not having to deal with RGB files generated outside of the shop. Since they
always work with the same scanner, there isn't a lot of difficulty getting original image color to match up to their
proofing printer and presses.

The "New Era" of post production dictated by clients now has the the photographer doing the high resolution scans,
processing the scan data in a post capture software, adjust, sharpen & color correct the images, handling most all of
the steps of final image preparation formerly the responsibility of the client. In many cases the photographer will handle
the entire production from brainstorming to final output. Clients have always willingly paid for the various production
costs associated with film capture, which are, but not limited to film, processing & Polaroids, clip tests, contact sheets,
scanning, color correction and couriers to handle transportation of film to finished works. With the photographer doing
the post-production the original never leaves the office and the client doesn't have the liability of damage or loss to the
original. So even with film the photographer converts to a modern work-flow with the same technical knowledge
required to be productive in a Digital work-flow and with that knowledge and proper tools, the photographer is able to
produce outstanding results for each client. Because of the current lack of RGB support by offset printers,
photographers often have to handle color the management, retouching and Prepress processes. Remember that
additional fees apply to each project if the photographer is taking on the additional workflow processes. If you don’t
have the photographer do the additional work, who ever does better have the proper programs to do this. A simple
push of the levels and curves doesn't cut it.

Since everything is now data, one of the first things that has to be done is Profiling your monitor. This means that you
use a hardware calibration device with supporting software to optimize the monitor brightness and contrast, neutralize
the monitor's display of color, and provide an ICC profile, which will become the default monitor profile used by color-
savvy applications. The Default color settings when installed are for Web, which assumes sRGB color space, and color
management turned off. This needs to be changed to U.S. Prepress defaults — at least as a starting point. This
changes the working color space to the wider gamut Adobe 1998 color space, and turns color management on. Your
files if worked on and saved in this color space will now be "tagged" as Adobe 1998 files. What this means is that each
file will have the Adobe 1998 color space embedded as a profile. This is important, because in color management, it is
important that any profiled device should see that embedded color space profile in order to properly display a file, and
then to be able to accurately convert it to any other desired color space, such as a specific CMYK space. Once
profiled, the RGB numbers in a file are changed before they are sent to the video card so that your monitor displays
them accurately. Once your monitor has been profiled, you should then check your Post capture software color
settings. Although monitor calibration and profiling is the very least that everyone needs to do far too few clients,
agencies, designers and even photographers are taking this seriously.

Clients, please consider the substantial investment that photographers must make in equipment and training to
provide you with quality services, and recognize the huge savings in time and manpower, and ultimately money, that a
photographer provides. Clients have always compensated photographers for the production expenses on
assignments, and there's no legitimate reason for that to stop. Squeezing photographers on production charges might
look attractive in the short term, however, doing so will slow the adoption of new technology and ultimately risk driving
the best and most experienced photographers from the industry. For the people who are working under the umbrella
of a corporation, the company covers all the operating expenses to do business, supplies you with the equipment to
your job, gives you a weekly paycheck, gives you health insurance, paid sick days, paid vacation time, sometimes a
company car, annual bonuses, retirement plans and a slew of other perks. All the benefits people take for granted
working for “a company” are added into the cost of doing business with other companies. The same method is used
when photographers do business. The photographer is the company for which he/she works. This is why the rates are
the way they are, it’s the cost of doing business and anyone on this side of the bargaining table would see it the same
way.

Be it digital capture or film, clients need to pay the production charges associated with their projects.

The Internet provides a wealth of information and articles by well respected photographers and organizations detailing
the dangerous trend of clients trying to put higher demands on photographers while trying to lower the compensation.